Roger Federer to face Lorenzo Sonego in first round of French Open

Top seed Novak Djokovic plays Hubert Hurkacz, while 11-time winner Rafael Nadal will begin his campaign against a qualifier

By Eleanor Crooks - PA Sport

Image: Roger Federer is bidding to win his second French Open title

Roger Federer will play his first match at Roland Garros since 2015 as he plays Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the first round of the French Open.

Federer is in the same half of the draw as second-seed Rafael Nadal, who begins his bid for a 12th title against a qualifier.

Top seed Novak Djokovic, who is aiming to win four Grand Slam titles in a row for the second time, takes on Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the other half.

Cameron Norrie gained the headline-grabbing draw among the British players at the French Open with a first-round tie against Nick Kyrgios.

It will be the Australian's first match since being defaulted from his second-round clash with Casper Ruud at the Italian Open in Rome on May 16 after throwing a chair across the court.

Advertisement

That came a day after Kyrgios said he 'could not stand' Novak Djokovic and branded Rafael Nadal "super salty" in an appearance on the No Challenges Remaining podcast.

Image: Rafael Nadal is a big favourite to win a staggering 12th title at Roland Garros

Kyrgios also caused a stir this week after saying the French Open "sucks" compared to Wimbledon as he practised with Andy Murray at the All England Club.

Also See:

Norrie can put further pressure on Kyle Edmund for the British No 1 spot when the tournament begins on Sunday.

Edmund reached the third round here during a superb 2018 but 2019 has been hugely disappointing so far, and the 24-year-old goes into his first-round clash with Frenchman Jeremy Chardy trying to snap a five-match losing streak.

Britain's third male representative, Dan Evans, faces a major battle to win his first match at Roland Garros after drawing in-form 23rd-seed Fernando Verdasco.

Two lucky losers are also guaranteed to make the men's main draw following the withdrawals of Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic.

We have the tennis season covered from all angles via our website skysports.com/tennis. On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation.

Outbrain